so much for that
Dear Diary, Football is Coming
Filed under:
So I'm going to admit this: until kinda recently I didn't know what "Okie" was. I knew it had something to do with bringing a lot of guys to the line and then running the mother of all zone blitzes. Which is what it is, but not very specific. So I drew this out based on a play vs. Illinois last year, and this became the genesis of last week's 'Museday' (name changing), and a companion piece with drawings of various formations Michigan runs. I plan to make that a sticky for the rest of us who could use a reference occasionally, and fix any minor mistakes in the current pics (e.g. the 3-tech is misaligned slightly), so suggestions are welcome.
Turnovers are not random, just the random ones are. There's this disconnect still around these parts and others where the math says that turnovers are random—all coaches have their players drill loose balls and ball security with equal emphasis—and 
significant deviation from the mean means you got lucky; and our lizard brains which say "that wasn't luck; that was Thomas Gordon being [high pitch] AWEsome."
So ZooWolverine, who wanted to believe he could find something—anything—to convince his brain it is not a lizard that sounds like a character from Friends, did his own stat study. The result: some skill involved in interceptions, but fumbles will still go 57-43 to the defense, and if you got something else it's luck. Sorry Joey lizard brain.
What do you get for a DUI? Getting behind the wheel of a car (or a golf cart) when intoxicated is really, really stupid. It's also scarily common, and college athletes seem to be particularly bad at this. There are degrees (one drink can put some people over the limit), but there's also enough of a record of coaches' responses to getting caught doing this stupid reckless thing that we have a fairly good idea of a typical DUI suspension. Gulo Gulo Luscus has updated that, and you can see my old list in the comments below. Findings: one game seems to be the going rate unless you play for Jim Tressel, and missing a practice season (spring, fall, etc.) is a little bit under average. Personally, not knowing the specific circumstances, I would want my coach to suspend the player for at least one game, always.
After THE JUMP the Diarist of the Week, the most awesome deck of cards ever, and Carl Grapentine says something that will give you goosebumps.
Let's play 52 pickup: So this guy named varsity walks into an Ann Arbor store and sees a deck of Michigan football heroes. As in a deck of cards where Biakabatuka is the 5 of Spades, Desmond Howard is the Ace of Hearts, etc. Then this guy mails the cards out to each player in the deck and asks the players to mail their cards back with their signatures. And they did! Not all of them (Tom Brady's publicist sent back some Patriots stuff) but check out the ones that returned. Most awesome collectible ever? Absolutely.
And if you happen to run into Des, Jansen, Woodson, Perry, Griese, Braylon, Law, or Brady, remember to hound them about sending their cards back.
Save the Game! A short situational by 909Dewey on the various things that could be at stake whenever Michigan and Ohio State face each other now, and how the current Big Ten division alignment takes away much of the winner-take-all meaning that made The Game so prominent among sports rivalries. The answer all along is to put Michigan and Ohio State in a division together, but this will never happen because imagine all the money if…
Etc. THE KNOWLEDGE says despite Rocky Long's no-punt strategy being wildly successful, we won't be meeting SDSU in the national championship game. Drat. And better get your OT O-U-T of yourself in the next drinking thread because Football is coming.
Best of the Board
BEFORE THEY WERE COACHES
The university has posted this year's team photo. You should already know that Bentley keeps all of these, high-res, for the public and that Wolverine Historian is just about the most awesome thing ever. Now you should know he pulled these. From left to right: Carr in 1980, Moeller in '69, Hoke in '95.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PRESENTING THE 235 MEMBER MICHIGAN MARCHING BAND. BAAAAAAND TAKE THE FIELD!
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
GO!
CLAP-CLAP! CLAP-CLAP! CLAP CLAP CLAP!
GO!
You know you're excited about the football season when the song that's stuck in your head all week is M Fanfare. The opening salvo of a day of Michigan football is brought to you by this thread asking what's your favorite tradition, but what makes it highly clickworthy, is Wolverine Historian stepping in again to show how damn loud the '86 band sounded in comparison to today, probably thanks to the turf. Watch that '86 fanfare and how much damn RUACH (spirit) is in everything they do. Band from 1986, you are now my favorite 235 member Michigan Marching Band.
And WH, you are my Diarist of the Week even though you didn't write a diary because every thread you touch turns to gold (see also: Manningham doing the worm thread hijacked with video of Braylon's backflip). For the rest of yeh, since the only way to satiate the evil repeating iPod in your lizard brain is to listen to the song, I give you this as a public service. Please remember to clap along.
KEVIN DUDLEY APPROVES OF THIS THREAD or REMEMBER THE DONKEYS
Brilliant idea for a thread. Inspired (I hope) by the remembrance of Aaron Shea's three-man block, Blue in South Bend put up a list of some of the greatest blocks ever thrown. Candidates are
- Patrick Omameh's open field demolition of Notre Dame's star linebacker that made "getting Te'o'ed" a thing.
- The mountain goating by Odoms that made the "Shoelace" introduction to Denard Robinson possible
- Shea vs. the State of Wisconsin
- Goodbye Buckeye, Hello Heisman
- Unknown Soldier vs. Ohio State in '97
Roundtree's block on Purdue comes in later. If you guys spend the next week expanding this thread the world will thank you!
ATTENDANCE AND H.A.I.L.
Wolverine Devotee found the attendance records for every varsity sport according to NCAA. No guesses which game had the most fans in a building to watch football ever.
Wouldn't it be nice if it looked like this, like, at the start of every game (except with a noonday sun instead of Roundtree/Lewan/Hoke/Denard ghosts)?
Brian will cover the new student loyalty program in UV. I like the sentiment but am disappointed with the result. Make them show up 10 minutes before the event, not after!
WALLPAPERS!
QuarterbackU made the above, as well as one of Kovacs. I am so down with this one, which reminds me a little bit of the opening to Michigan Replay. The Kovacs one is in the stupid honeybee uniforms and thus useless.
MET A WOLVERINE
You have not yet heard of Antonio Whitfield, and you probably won't again. He's a freshman on the track team who plans to try again to walk on to the football team as an RB. This is very Cool Story Bro-ish but WingsNWolverines ran into the kid in Columbus, and then the kid himself found the site and checked in. Your rooting interest is for this MGoBlogger to make the team, teach Borges that bubble screens do involve receivers blocking, and when this play has us up 42-3 on Ohio State he'll get to run it. He'll score, of course. Then we'll go for two.
ETC. There was another side to the MMB to Dallas thing.
Your moment of zen:
August 24th, 2012 at 10:10 AM | 
meh
meh
August 24th, 2012 at 10:18 AM |
No wonder Illinois was so lousy last year.
No wonder Illinois was so lousy last year.
Those dummies were lining up the offense sideline to sideline. Kind of hard to get into the endzone doing that.
L.S.A. '88
August 24th, 2012 at 10:45 AM |
I'm fine with no suspension for Fitz.
I'm fine with no suspension for Fitz.
And not because he's Fitz, but because of the circumstances. Fitz is 22 years old, so unlike the majority of college athletes, he's legally able to drink. That makes a difference to me, along with the fact that he has no prior bad decisions or behavior. In fact, I see his offense, a poor choice with no impact on anyone, as much less serious than Frank Clark's (alleged) offense is. And yes, I would say this for any player in any team in the same circumstances.
"Everyone gets dumped Gabe. Let me give you some advice: a little coverup on your Adams Apple will make it appear smaller. Which will make you appear less like a transvestite."
August 24th, 2012 at 11:19 AM |
Gun to my head ...
Gun to my head ...
Gun to my head, my guess is that Fitz plays against Alabama but doesn't start.
August 24th, 2012 at 11:31 AM |
22 is the legal age for
22 is the legal age for
22 is the legal age for drinking and driving now?
I'VE GOT THE KEYS, NOW SOMEBODY GET ME A BEER!
August 24th, 2012 at 12:18 PM |
Ha. Nope, but my point stands
Ha. Nope, but my point stands
that IMO that offense, his first, coming when it did weeks before the season began, it is perfectly possible for Hoke to punish him before the season starts. And I'm in a minority, but I believe a first offense for DUI as an adult is not as grave and awful as many people state. As I said, Clark's offense IMO is far graver than a first DUI. For a second DUI I believe we should take away a person's license for years, but a first IMO should be a warning.
"Everyone gets dumped Gabe. Let me give you some advice: a little coverup on your Adams Apple will make it appear smaller. Which will make you appear less like a transvestite."
August 24th, 2012 at 12:56 PM |
I couldn't disagree more
I couldn't disagree more
You're not more likely to kill someone on your 2nd DUI than you are on your 1st.
National Alcohol-Related Crash Statistics
- 2008 — 11,773 — 1 fatality every 45 minutes
- 2007 — 12,998 — 1 fatality every 40 minutes
- 2006 — 13,470 — 1 fatality every 39 minutes
- 2005 — 16,885 — 1 fatality every 31 minutes
- 2004 — 16,694 — 1 fatality every 31 minutes
- 2003 — 17,013 — 1 fatality every 31 minutes
- 2002 — 17,419 — 1 fatality every 30 minutes
- 2001 — 17,448 — 1 fatality every 30 minutes
- 2000 — 16,653 — 1 fatality every 32 minutes
- 1999 — 15,786 — 1 fatality every 33 minutes
- 1998 — 16,020 — 1 fatality every 33 minutes
- 1997 — 16,189 — 1 fatality every 32 minutes
- 1996 — 17,218 — 1 fatality every 31 minutes
- 1995 — 17,274 — 1 fatality every 30 minutes
- 1994 — 16,580 — 1 fatality every 32 minutes
- 1993 — 17,473 — 1 fatality every 30 minutes
- 1992 — 17,858 — 1 fatality every 29 minutes
- 1991 — 19,887 — 1 fatality every 26 minutes
- 1990 — 22,084 — 1 fatality every 24 minutes
National Youth Fatal Crash and Alcohol Facts — 2008
- Nationally, 5,864 15-20-year-old drivers were involved in fatal crashes in 2008.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20-year-olds.
- In 2008, 2,739 15-20-year-old drivers were killed and an additional 228,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes.
- Among the 15 to 20-year old drivers involved in fatal crashes, 31 percent had been drinking.
From http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/drivers/traffic_safety/DUI/stats.html. Wish they had more recent data. But drinking and Driving kills people every 30-45 minutes.
"Over? Did you say, over? Nothing is over until we decide it is!"
August 25th, 2012 at 12:11 AM |
This is why I like MGoBlog.
This is why I like MGoBlog.
This is why I like MGoBlog. Even when a topic veers far from football, you can count on an informed debate and everyone brandishing statistics.
New Orleans-based Wolverine fan.
August 25th, 2012 at 11:29 AM |
Everyone agrees that it is serious.
Everyone agrees that it is serious.
And a bad decision, so I'm not debating you. The question is how bad, and what is the proper punishment for doing it the first time. The only thing I'd say about the excellent stats you provided is that they of course prove the seriousness of the issue. But a flaw in them is that it is unknowable how many of the fatalities involved in those accidents would have occurred anyway, meaning whether or not the driver was intoxicated. Driver error leading to crashes happens all the time, and while intoxication in many cases is the main factor, in others it is not.
"Everyone gets dumped Gabe. Let me give you some advice: a little coverup on your Adams Apple will make it appear smaller. Which will make you appear less like a transvestite."
August 24th, 2012 at 1:06 PM |
DUI=bad
DUI=bad
While I think a second offense is worse, a first offense could certainly warrant a game suspension. But I kind of agree with you on Fitz for the reasons you've stated plus his blood alcohol level. I read that it was .12. Usually .08, the legal limit means two drinks. So he had maybe 3 or 4 in his system. Not good, but he wasn't slobering all over himself.
August 24th, 2012 at 1:23 PM |
Really depends on your size and tolerance
Really depends on your size and tolerance
For most men 180-200lbs its about .02 per drink within an hour. For me (I fit my own description) it would take about 4 drinks in an hour for me to be at the legal limit to drive.
Fitz is a big dude, but as an athlete doesn't have much body fat, so I'd say 4-6 drinks within an hour isn't out of the realm of possibility. He (by all accounts) was very contrite and polite etc. with the officers. It sounds to me that he had a couple drinks, didn't think he was over the limit, and thought he could safely drive. Turns out he was over the limit. Thus he got a DUI and should serve a suspension IMO.
Many people think that 0.08 is an arbitrary number, and it is true that alcohol affects people differently, but my stance on this is the same as my stance on pot (not to get political) but if it's illegal (driving with a BAC > 0.08 is) then there should be a punishment for breaking the law.
I'd be fine with 1 game in this sense. Kevin Grady's .238 or whatever he blew shows signs of a real problem, as he had to drink a lot to get his BAC that high. Had Fitz blown higher, or made a more egregious error he then should be punished more IMO. Since he broke the law and didn't injure anyone, nor does a legal college kid having a 0.12 BAC break any laws (it was the driving part that broke the law) it appears to me he made a bad judgement without signs of a bigger problem.
"Over? Did you say, over? Nothing is over until we decide it is!"
August 24th, 2012 at 1:44 PM |
They're not very comparable
They're not very comparable
They're not very comparable offenses.
If you steal a laptop, the person you stole it from has to replace that laptop 100% of the time. If you drink and drive you could cause a death or multiple deaths--I'm making this up--1% of the time.
There is a vast difference in the severity of damage you can potentially cause, and also a vast difference the other way in the likelihood of damage being caused. They should be treated differently because they are different types of culpabillity.
For a DUI first offender, if I was a head coach and had the kind of authority to do this, I would say the player cannot have so much as a sip of alchohol for 100 days, and for one of those days he must serve as if he HAD killed somebody by his recklessness. That day will be the next game day, which the player will spend attending the funeral of someone killed by a drunk driver (never hard to find), or working with a person who was permanently disabled by a drunk driver, or whatever else that puts the kid face to face with the potential consequence for what he did.
For a theft first-time offender, the answer is work. The player has to get a job that virtually replaces his social life and have all of his wages garnished until DOUBLE the price of the stolen goods have been replaced. The first amount goes to the person or organization stolen from, the second amount to charity. Until the debt is paid the player is suspended from team activitites.
These are in addition to whatever the people have determined should be the punishment for these offenses, for breaking the peoples' laws, unless a judge thinks this is enough.
(Blogger alias: "Misopogon") This team is under construction. We thank you for your patience.
August 24th, 2012 at 1:10 PM |
I'm not fine with it.
I'm not fine with it.
I'm not fine with it. Driving while intoxicated is a really stupid thing to do.
August 24th, 2012 at 10:51 AM |
Ah yes, this glorious spectacle you Yanks call 'foot-ball'
Ah yes, this glorious spectacle you Yanks call 'foot-ball'
I like it when the football team is actually playing football. Ironically, it's about the only time we're NOT talking about football.
August 24th, 2012 at 12:35 PM |
Hey, why no response to those
Hey, why no response to those
Hey, why no response to those concerns about the "Eatin'" shirt that were expressed in the 2012 shirt roll-out thread? It'll be pretty lame if that shirt remains available without a lot of that money going to Pahokee and without any justification for using the idea created by those kids.
August 24th, 2012 at 11:07 AM |
I would say a thread that is
I would say a thread that is
I would say a thread that is almost as awesome to the "greatest blocks" one, is one that explores greatest blocks shed (i.e. Brandon Graham vs MSU '09).
Not that I loved Rich Rod less, but that I loved Michigan more.
August 24th, 2012 at 11:33 AM |
Fooooot.....ball?
Fooooot.....ball?
Fooooot.....ball?
Follow me on Twitter @gfraley05
August 24th, 2012 at 11:37 AM |
Back in '86, it was the 225
Back in '86, it was the 225
Back in '86, it was the 225 member MMB IIRC. More sound with fewer instruments.
I got a letter from the government the other day . . .
August 24th, 2012 at 11:38 AM |
Fitz
Fitz
I would not mind seeing Fitz suspended one game.......I would prefer it be for the Big 10 opener.
Xbox Live: Bat_Daddy_3
August 24th, 2012 at 11:43 AM |
I'm disappointed...
I'm disappointed...
I had to go check out the thread on meeting a Wolverine in Columbus. It appears that Antonio has deleted his comments.
August 24th, 2012 at 12:06 PM |
I don't get it anyway...
I don't get it anyway...
Does U-M give track scholarships? If he's got one, he can't walk onto the football team.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
August 24th, 2012 at 1:09 PM |
uhhhh?
uhhhh?
Why not? Tai Streets "walked on" to the basketball team.
August 24th, 2012 at 1:13 PM |
Because it doesn't work that way.
Because it doesn't work that way.
If you're coming to play dual sports, and one of them is football, you have to have a football scholarship. Tai Streets couldn't have been on the basketball team and walked onto the football team. But if the scholarship counts against football, he can go play basketball, or run track, or whatever.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
August 24th, 2012 at 1:24 PM |
In this case I believe the
In this case I believe the
In this case I believe the kid is on track scholarship THIS YEAR but next year is when he says he plans on trying out again for the football team. If he's on a track scholarship and he joins the football team as a walk-on, the scholarship converts to football and he is counted as football. This is the NCAA: there's a priority list of sports that your scholly counts against. So unless Brady Hoke gives him a football scholarship next year, provided he makes the team, he will have to choose between being on scholarship for track OR being a member of the football team and paying his own way.
This is almost exactly what Grady19 did. He had a basketball scholarship, but then walked on to the football squad and earned a scholarship from football. If he didn't earn that scholarship then he would have had to pay his own tuition. Heininger is another example, as he turned down a baseball scholarship to walk on the football team, and earned a scholarship his third year (2009) when he was backup to Graham.
(Blogger alias: "Misopogon") This team is under construction. We thank you for your patience.
August 24th, 2012 at 2:55 PM |
That's what I thought
That's what I thought
And with the recruits we have coming in, it'd be surprising to see a scholarship offer. But if he gets one it must mean he was impressive.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
August 24th, 2012 at 3:24 PM |
Yes and no. There's always
Yes and no. There's always
Yes and no. There's always more attrition than it looks like 360 days before they announce the 2013 scholarships.
(Blogger alias: "Misopogon") This team is under construction. We thank you for your patience.
August 24th, 2012 at 4:03 PM |
True
True
But it all depends on how big the class before it is, and how much attrition they were already expecting. He'd have to be impressive to give him an extra scholly over a 5th year guy.
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
August 24th, 2012 at 5:01 PM |
(Shhhh.. He's reading. Don't
(Shhhh.. He's reading. Don't
(Shhhh.. He's reading. Don't wreck his dreams.)
Oh sure he can win a scholarship! We could always use more backs. Bubble screens. Bubble screens are friendly and get touchdowns.
Oky srs, I'm sure every player who walks on knows what they're up against. It's also not the end of the world to pay for a few semesters of University of Michigan education while you work your way up the depth chart. Of course it's hard and only a few achieve it. Being hard is what makes it great.
(Blogger alias: "Misopogon") This team is under construction. We thank you for your patience.
August 24th, 2012 at 11:47 AM |
Turnovers are random
Turnovers are random
It's great that football is played with emotionless robots of equal strength and stamina.
August 24th, 2012 at 12:04 PM |
ATTENDANCE AND H.A.I.L.
ATTENDANCE AND H.A.I.L.
I find it funny you put those together, because the picture shows how the game does look at kickoff at noon...with the corner that's the student section empty.
Hey-O!
"I love him, he's a great coach, he's a great mentor, he's a great friend. He's every single thing you want a college coach to be, and he does it flawlessly." -David Molk
August 25th, 2012 at 1:01 AM |
Diarist of the Week!
I
Diarist of the Week!
I
Diarist of the Week!
I don't even have a speech prepared. So instead, I'll beat a dead horse.
In that video of the 1986 MMB, when you're not listening to how loud the band is, look at the crowd. No empty student section. Just a 100,000+ seat stadium filled to capacity....for pregame! What a concept!
Go Blue! Always!
August 26th, 2012 at 8:26 PM |
No "maize out" either. Yet I
No "maize out" either. Yet I
No "maize out" either. Yet I bet that one girl in the white sweatshirt still has that sweatshirt. At least I hope she does.
(Blogger alias: "Misopogon") This team is under construction. We thank you for your patience.
August 25th, 2012 at 1:37 PM |
May I suggest a new award?
May I suggest a new award?
The Turd in the Punchbowl of the Week. This would go to the poster who has put the final nail in the coffin of the most good threads. I nominate myself this week. I think it is worth about 100 points, but I would prefer a karma boost. (Insert video of Woody Allen watching the party train pass by.)
-_-